Attitude

Paul encourages us to "have the mind of Christ" in Philippians.  I love the idea that I can think like Christ thinks.  So different and so foreign to what I usually have running through my mind.

In 2011, I want a new attitude.  Every time I renew my mind in one area, God is ready to tackle the next.  He has been speaking to me about this, and just yesterday, I read a blog that said what my heart has been feeling.  Beth Moore says it so much better than I so read it here:

http://blog.lproof.org/2010/12/thinking-about-a-new-year.html

My attitude is one that will not be easily offended. I won't hold grudges. I want to love so freely, that forgiveness is abounding. 

Health and Wellness

I do not know why I like to run so much. No one in my family is very athletic. I would never consider myself and athlete, yet year in year out, I always come back to running.

Here are my events for 2011:

Atlanta Publix Marathon and Half Marathon

I'm running it with my pals Courtney and Lindsey.  We are doing the half. I really wanted to do the full, but in all honesty it scared me to death and I was easily persuaded to do the half this year.Registrations are completed and I am excited.

Second event:

Old Capital City Triathlon

This is an example of what happens when you talk about races with a runner at a Christmas party.  Thirty minutes into the conversations, I was so excited about this new venture. I've been thinking about a triathlon (the baby one) for a while. I know that I can't run forever, and I love the idea of mixing several things in one race.  I have somehow convinced about five other women to do this thing with me.  I have not been so excited about a race in a long time.

I know better than to make any type of eating commitment for 2011.  Who am I kidding? I am terrible at diets. So after thinking long and hard about my middle age weight gain I am contemplating moderation.  Everything in moderation. Hopefully this will mean less meat, more vegetables, less sugar and more water.

So maybe 2011 will be a year of new accomplishments for me. Maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll get Mr. Welch off the couch, into a pair of running shoes and in a 5K.  Now that would be a real accomplishment!

Socks and stuff

Knitting socks has become my new obsession. I like it because they are fast and fun.  While I was blocking the pair I made my dad for Christmas, I noticed that I still am leaving a small hole in the gussett. Dang it.
OK so here's my plan for 2011: a pair of socks every month.  The more you knit, the better you get.  Everyone gets socks for their birthday this year, but by December I can promise you, there will be no holes in the gussett, or ladders on the side. 
January is for Wayne. Last night, while we were watching TV wrapped up in a blnaket, I saw his bare feet sticking out from under the blanket, and I thought I need to knit that man some slippers to cover up those feet.  I told him as much and he replied " Well, that is sweet but you probably won't get them done until July and then I won't need them."  Now I'm not sure if that was a slam on my knitting skills, or if  he really doesn't want to wear slippers. Either way I found a manish pair that I am casting on January 1st.

So that's my goals for kntting in 2011. Not sure if I will have 12 pairs of socks in 2011, but the ones I have will be beautiful!

Looking forward....

I'm a sucker for New Years resolutions. I love them. I love to make them, I love to look back on them. THat is not to say that I do very well keeping them, but that's for another post.

My friend Hollie mentioned in one of her posts that she was going to take the last days of the month and use them to look forward to 2011. Maybe not so much resolution, but contemplation. What are the things I want to learn, do and become in 2011?

After all these years, I am finally learning that I do better spending quality time with God when I do a structured bible study or daily devotional thing.  I applaud you folks who read through the bible in a year, but its not for me. I cringe when I hear someone say "I'm reading the bible through in a year."  I think of all the times I have tried and made it to the third week of January then stopped after bogged down in the laws of Numbers and Deuteronomy.

I am starting off this year with a favorite, "Jesus the One and Only: 90 Day Devotional" . Mostly I want to fall in love with Jesus again. Oh I love Him,  but I'm not always "in love" with Him.  So the first 3 months of the year I am going to focus on Jesus, his life, His words while He was on earth.  I've lost that lovin' feelin' by just being too busy and too overwhelmed.  He's waiting on me.....

Tomorrow I'll tell you some more of my contemplations for 2011.  What about you?

Sleep in heavenly peace

The soft gentle rumble I hear is coming from my man who is sleeping in the heavenly peace of a full tummy.  The girls are in their rooms relishing the technology of finally having wireless capablility.  Folks, all it takes to make your kids Christmas is a 15 dollar router.
I am contemplating how in the heck I start a diet with all that food crammmed in the fridge.  The dogs are dozing in their new nests.  There is a gentle rain falling that I am hoping turns to a dusting of snow later on this afternoon.  The TV is playing a hallmark Christmas movie in the background.
 My heart is full...peace on earth....goodwill to men.  Merry Christmas from the Welch house!

Day Before

Call me crazy, but I love the day before the "Big Day".....any big day,  Thanksgiving, a birthday, in this case, Christmas. The anticipation is maxed out, I'm usually running around like crazy.  The girls are at home asking me a thousand questions.  Wayne is making me laugh by singing some silly song he has made up about that given event. In this case he is entertaining me with his Elvis version of Blue Christmas. I love the feeling.

The best part of the "day before Christmas" is spending it with Lynn and Craig.  I am thinking back to the first Christmas Eve I ever spent with them. I was dating Wayne.  So nervous to make a good impression. We went to their TINY house in Marietta and ate and laughed until we cried. I was in love, with him.....and them.

Through the years we have loved each other through every Christmas Eve. I don't really remember a year when we weren't together.  There were years that Wayne oldest sister, Patricia and her family joined us. Those are special times that don't come around to often, but mostly I love to think about the joy of Christmas Eve's spent together. Things like:

......The year I was pregnant with Ginny and threw up about 4 times on the way there.

......Bringing Pawpaw with us and getting in a terrible wreck on the way...and being so happy that next morning that we were all ok

......Matt getting  a "new truck" for Christmas. Wayne drove it from Eatonton and parked it at the pool house

......watching Chevy Chase "Christmas Vacation" and laughing until I cried.

......decorating ornaments.

......Shrimp chowder

......driving around looking at Christmas lights sitting in the backseat with Lynn and laughing, and laughing, and laughing.

......listening to stories about their mom, and wishing she were here, even if just for tonight.

......lining the kids up in front of the tree and taking pictures.

......watching Leslie, as a little girl, content to just be near Matt, but usually on him in some way.

......first Christmas meeting Christopher, watching him watch Megan, and knowing that this kid's a keeper.

......seeing the explosion of lights that Craig has created in the living room....kitchen...bathroom if Lynn will let him. Nobody loves Christmas like Craig.

......speaking of Craig and Christmas....his egg nog! :)

......laying on the bed with Lynn, laughing and talking while the boys hog the TV. Talking about what we got the kids, what we think the boys got us, and whether or not it will be a "sweatpants" kind of Christmas.

It's Christmas Eve morning. In about an hour Wayne and the girls will be up. We will load up and make our trek to Cumming.  This morning I realize that our Christmas Eve looks as different as our lives.  Matt and Megan have started their own lives.  My girls are almost grown.  It changes every year but it will always be about family.

There will always be Christmas Eve at Lynn's.  The kids and their family's may be there and some years won't.  There will be new babies, more stories of college and new careers.  New sons and daughters to bring home.  But there will always be four good friends, who happen to be family celebrating together.  Maybe  over Lynn's chowder, and maybe over Shoney's, but together.  Among God's blessings in my life, I am thankful for being  in this family.  I am blessed.

Hillsong

I am sooooo excited!

I will be HERE on March 7, 2011. Perfect birthday present!

last reads of 2010

 I just finished up my last two books for 2010:

Worth gave me this book and it is absolutely awesome. If you are missional minded this book will inspire you to reach out. Toby Mac does a fantastic job of showing through the lives of ordinary people, how extraordinary our God is! Read it! You can borrow it from me....but you can't keep it.

Tina gave me this book. I finished it last night about 12:30. It has me so energized to run my half marathon in March!  the story is actually the autobiography of of Sister Madonna Buder, a Catholic nun started running at age 48, and now, at the age of 80, she has finished countless marathons and triathlons.  She combines stories of her training rituals with accounts of races where she is visited by angels.  Her relationship with Jesus is very real, and you witness her conversations with Him, as her friend.  You see her turn racing into a ministry to others.  Fantastic book. It helped to affirm in me that EVERY part of our lives as believers in Jesus, is a ministry.  You can borrow this one too, but not until I finish running in March! :)

I think I will squeeze another book in next week while I am off.  I am going to start the Karen Kingsbury series on the Baxter family.  I usually don't like Christian fiction, but I'm gonna give it a try.

* sorry for the fuzziness of these pics I ripped off of Amazon*

Mary, did you know

....that your baby boy, would save our sons and daughters?

What's on your knitting needles?

This awesome neck warmer looks so soft and warm. It's a gift for someone who appreciates handknits as much as I do!

Campfire socks.  Fun to knit, and quick once I figured out the pattern.These are for my dad, except I knit them in BRIGHT RED! to go with his Georgia lounge pants.

Lesson learned

I learned a great lesson this week It was this: Stand still and let God move. I wish I had the time and space to tell you the whole story, but let me just give you the short version.

About a month ago, I heard God distinctly and clearly tell me something that He wanted me to do.  If you know me, I am VERY action oriented and I proceeded to do what He said, when I hit a roadblock.  I remember so clearly lying in bed that night and I ask Him, "God did I hear you right?"  He answered, "You just stand still and let Me move."

In an unprecedented act of faith in Him, I did just that. Let me tell you that I seldom stand still, even after He has told me to. Most of the time I am running around trying to manipulate a way for His will to be done, you know He needs me to do that for Him  :).  But this time, I stood still and just waited and watched.

 He moved in a way that I did not expect,  but as clearly as I had heard his voice a month before, I saw His hand move.  It was beautiful, seamless, perfect.  It made me humble, and happy.

I trust Him. Once again, He showed me that His way is perfect, and that His timing is never too late.  I love this song.........

Stand still, and let God move.

Standing still is hard to do.

When you feel you have reached the end,

He'll make a way for you,

Stand still, and let God move.

Snuggle weather

Baby it's cold outside....and it's snuggle weather inside!

Simple Things

After having a horrific 2009, I made a pact with myself to slow down in 2010 and enjoy the simple things. I read the most interesting thing by Andrew Murray the other day. He said that in the rush of our world, we forget to be still and commune with God. To commune with God means to say "No" alot. It means turning off your cell phone and spending Saturdays at home. It has been a year of awakening. I slowed down. I said no alot more to people and requests for my time, and started saying "Yes" to God, to Wayne, to my family.  I found time to do some really neat things I've been wanting to do. Like hang out laundry.

 When I was a little girl I used to love to help my mom hang out laundry.  I love a towel that has hung out to dry on the line.  I figure if I live out the country with no neighbors to see our underwear, why not?  Wayne made me a clothesline and that is a simple pleasure for me on Saturdays.

I found time to take a walk and talk to God.  He has never told me He was too busy for me.  He has never failed to show up and walk with me, and tell me things I needed to know.

I found time to spend some lazy afternoons with Wayne.  In a year that has been hard in other ways, it has been a great growing year for us. I love him so much.

I'm not sure what 2011 will bring, but I feel like for the first time in a while I am grounded and settled. Learning to say yes to the right things makes all the difference in the world.

Streams in the Desert

For the last few weeks, I have been reading this book, Streams in the Desert.  It's an old book.  It was published in 1925 but literally, this copy I have is old. The pages are yellow, and it smells musty. I love this book.  In the the age of internet, email and smartphones, it is such a pleasure to hold a book in my hands and read from the wisdom of believers before me.  Mrs. Charles E. Cowman (I love it that she uses her husbands's name!) wrote a collection of early morning thoughts as she ministered as a missionary to Japan and China for many years.  Six of those years were spent and the bedside (literally) of her invalid husband, who finally died and left her heartbroken and lonely.  I love the wealth of knowledge she shares about her sufferings.
Here is an excerpt......

"I think that I can trace every scrap of sorrow in my life to simple unbelief.  How could I be anything but quite happy if I believed always that the past is quite forgiven and the present is furnished with power, and the future found to be bright with hope because of facts that I cannot change with my mood?"

If you happen upon a copy of this book at a yard sale pick it up. It is a treasure.

Sweet Word

Like you, sometimes I find myself in a situation that seems impossible.  A situation that has no outward resolution. I want to be a faith filled woman, but I'm not always that woman.  This morning, God reminded me of His power, His hugeness, his ability to bring water to a desert.

2 Kings 3: 16-18  " then he (Elijah) said " This is what the LORD says, "Dig ditches all over this valley. Here's what will happen- you won't hear the wind, and you won't see the rain, but this valley is going to fill up with water and your army and your animals will drink their fill.'"

So, I've got my shovel in my hand, I'm diggin' my trenches. I don't smell rain or see clouds.  This air is still, I won't even pretend that I see any storm on its way, but I know that God is bringing rain to me.  He promised that to me.  He will cover me and my family, my church and my ministry in drenching, life-giving rain.  Faith doesn't stop to scan the horizon. Faith keeps digging, knowing that these trenches are going to overflow.

Mr. Romantic

I am married to a wonderful man. He is a wonderful provider. He's been a hard worker since the day I met him.
He is hilarious. No really, he seems quiet to the rest of the world, but he can make me laugh so hard I nearly pee my pants.  We have a thousand private jokes, and he takes pleasure in making Ginny laugh by telling her all sorts of Ginger and Willow stories, or poking fun at me, her mother.

We are at  that place in life/marriage where we kinda think and act as one. That doesn't mean we always agree, or look at things the same way, but in most situations, I think about what WE will do, and what he thinks is always present in my mind. (Except when I am buying running shoes or knitting supplies!)

Last night was date night and we both had our mouths set for Japanese. Kiroshima was packed however, and we settled for Buffingtons, the burger place down the street.  It's usually my favorite place in the world, but the food was so-so last night. Maybe because I had been craving sushi, and nachos were just not the same.
Anyway, it didn't really matter because we had the best time together.

It was one of those nights where we had such good talk time.  Most of our conversations are me yammering on and on and Wayne nodding his head and saying "Yeah Baby" at every given pause. But tonight he really listened to me talk about Leslie and college, about how happy I am that Ginny is doing so good.  I know he was listening because he asked me questions and there was no GON magazine in site for him to read.

We talked and talked about his business, about the future, about the girls, about Christmas.  It was good. I needed it.  As we left Kiroshima and headed to DQ for our buy-one-get-one-free Blizzard, I thought, "I love this man."  He's my best friend in the entire world.  Romance is being asked into your partner's world. I'm glad I'm a part of his.

Oh and then to top off a perfect evening, we went home and watched "Swamp Loggers".

My day

I took Leslie to see University of West Georgia.  A definite maybe on her possible college list.  I simultaneously was excited for her, while I had to fight the urge not to throw up. I remember very clearly sitting in the orientation session and having an out of body experience.  I saw the leaders lips moving but I could not hear a word she said. My mind was instead racing while I had thoughts like, How can my baby be going to college?  Who is this tall redhead sitting next to me smiling and laughing? She looks so grown up! How can I have a child in college? I am only a kid myself.  Will she be able to find her classes?  What if she runs out of money the first month? 

All these thoughts fired in rapid succession, and were finally silenced when I heard her saying " Mom let's go, we are going to take the tour." She was giving me the look that meant "Do not say a word, don't try and make friendly conversation with the tour guide or I will never speak to you again."  

I managed to stumble along the tour keeping my mouth shut and blinking back tears.  This is for real. She is going to leave my little nest I have made for her.  As we looked at the rooms where she will live and eat, and study and laugh, I thought, her room will be empty next year.  I won't wake her up yelling, "If you do not get up right now I am driving you to school for the entire week!".  I won't peek in her room and see a pile of red hair ever which a way, and her sweet little mouth gaping open while she sleeps.  I won't hear MTV and VH1 and threaten to take away her TV if she doesn't turn off that "trashy TV". 

I've never been good at transition.  I like things the same way.  But things don't stay the same, ever.  I refuse to be a clingy mother.  When it's time to fly the coop, she'll be just fine. I will be too.